Claudio Slon's goof figured out?

[Mike Blakesley]

Old forum members will remember when the great Claudio Slon dropped in a few times. He posted that he had joined Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 for the album Crystal Illusions. Of course several forum-ites jumped on that one and replied "no, you didn't join until Stillness, unless there was some mistake on the album covers."

Well, there was so much badgering going on that he finally wrote a final post saying to the effect, "sorry I brought it up" and disappeared from the forum.

While I was surprised that he didn't know what album he debuted with, I figured that his mistake was just due to the musicians not having a lot to do with album titling, track sequencing, photography, etc.

He did pop back in at one point and ask if anyone knew if Primal Roots had been released on CD. (That post resulted in me sending him a copy of my homemade CD-R of the album, which I hope provided him with enjoyment.)

ANYWAY, last night I was driving around listening to the Edu Lobo album Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo. The song "Crystal Illusions" began to play, and it hit me....when Claudio said he joined the Mendes group for Crystal Illusions, I'll bet he confused the song with the album of the same name. Because he plays drums on the Lobo album, which includes "Crystal Illusions!"

I don't know when Presents Lobo was recorded, but wasn't it around the same time as Stillness?

This explanation makes more sense to me than "he just forgot."

OK, now I can sleep at night.

 

[Harry]

Boy does THAT make sense. I'll bet the timing works out.

Harry
NP: some crap on the radio

 

[JMK]

You could be right, Mike, but, then again, I 've noticed that when talking to musicians who have done literally hundreds or thousands of sessions over many years they just don't remember the details. Sergio couldn't remember much of anything about his Philips dates. I know that Dave Frishberg is pretty hazy on both his TJB and other A&M dates (when I was talking to him in the Post Office one day about his contributions on Hello, It's Me, he said, "Was that the one where I played the organ all the way through?", which obviously wasn't the case). So I think we all need to cut any guests who show up here considerable slack. Some days I can't remember my kids' names!

 

[Brasil_Nut]

This is also true of actors and well-known news reporters. I remember asking Bob Hope (during one of his visits to Walt Disney World for the 25th Anniversary Celebration) if he had enjoyed appearing on the "Grand Opening Broadcast" of Walt Disney World. "Did I do that?" he laughed, not sure if it had been Disneyland -- not Disney World -- where he had appeared.

Jeff is also correct about Sergio's recollection of the old days. He does, however, have fond, vivid memories of his days in San Francisco with Brasil '65. Then again, ask him about "Fool On The Hill" and he'll get things confused. "It took me the better part of six months to get that song to where I felt it was right," he confessed.

Jon

...confused on a daily basis and lucky to remember what happened five minutes ago, online...

 

[Harry]

I think that we, as human beings, tend to remember things quite selectively. Often, our strongest memories tend to be surrounded by OTHER, more important events. Those of us alive and conscious on November 22, 1963, know EXACTLY where we were and what we were doing at the moment we heard about the assasination in Dallas. Most of us probably can recall what, if anything we ate for dinner that evening. However, I'll bet that few can recall what breakfast was that prior morning.

Same thing with musicians and studio dates. If it was a memorable occasion for a performer, they'll remember every detail. If it was just another gig, it might fall into the recesses of the mind like last week's lunches. Sergio's recollections from the Brasil '65 days are probably vivid because he was BEGINNING to experience a level of success. Those had to be heady times for him. Once established as a hitmaker with his first three A&M albums, recording and supporting Fool On The Hill would tend to be less memorable, since by that time, it was 'just another gig'.

Claudio, having been on many prior recording dates, likely recalled going into the studio with Sergio Mendes and playing a song called "Crystal Illusions." I think Mike's theory is really right on.

Harry
...what was the question?, online...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Harry has a point. So does Mike. I believe that Paul, Brandon and others who have met Sergio in person can attest to the fact that he often gets songs and artists confused from one Brasil '66 recording to the next. I mean, as Harry said, Sergio's vivid memories of Brasil '65 stem from the fact that he was beginning to become successful as a Latin Jazz artist -- his dream come true.

Sergio remembers the first three A&M albums vividly. He told Brandon and I in detail about the first album, how BiBi Vogel backed out at the last minute, how Janis Hansen appeared on the back cover photo -- not the front, etc. However, following a performance in San Francisco one evening, he picked up a copy of "Stillness" and said, "This is the one with my wife's name spelled wrong..." "Are you thinking of Fool On The Hill?" I asked. "Oh yes!" he exclaimed, "that's the one!" Little things like this; things that jump out at fans are of little consequence to the artists. As Harry said, it was just another "gig". Then again, when it came to the stickers covering the "anatomy" of Fool On The Hill, he remembered this vividly. Ask him about the "lost" Bell single and he has no idea. Neither does Gracinha.

I commented on her solo album last year in New York. "You know," she said, "that thing was released on CD in Japan? I didn't even know it had been released until someone told me! Can you believe they'd release that thing after all these years?" I said something about her solo version of "Ultima Batucada" and she said, "Did I sing that on my album? I thought it was on Horizonte Aberto."

We're all human, as Harry and others have pointed out. Selective memory can sometimes be a good thing or a detriment.

Jon

...posting here and selectively Ignoring 'The Ignore Thread', online...